If all goes well for Galvao in the tournament, Rebney said, a rematch with Warren is an “absolute consideration” down the line.

Warren’s victory was immediately greeted with scorn from the MMA community – not for the result, necessarily, but for its scoring. Judges Henry Gueary and Brooks Mason gave the would-be Olympian the non-title fight by a margin of two rounds to one. Judge Chuck Wolf, though, gave tge Bellator featherweight champion all three rounds, prompting not only anger online but calls of fight-fixing.

While Rebney did not take major concern with the two judges who called the action in favor of Warren, he said the lone 30-27 score was “completely out of line.” That said, he acknowledged that the decision can only be chalked up to the dissenting judges’ perception.

Rebney also voiced a refrain that’s become a part of every outburst involving the judging process in MMA: The promotion has no control over the process.

“The commissions and judges that oversee our events are appointed by the state or by the tribal nation that we work with,” he said. “We don’t control them. Sometimes they do an amazing job, and sometimes they don’t. But they’re human beings, and our sport remains comparatively new when you compare it to boxing and other combat sports.”

Bellator 41, which took place at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Yuma, Ariz., was overseen by the Padawome Tribal Commission, an ABC-approved regulatory body affiliated with the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission that often works on events held on Native American land.

Although Rebney disagrees with the decision rendered in this past Saturday’s main event, the promotion will continue to work with the PTC. Of course, he has concerns moving forward.

“That’s surely something I would bring up through the proper channels – to say that person either had a very off night or is lacking in certain competencies relative to certain aspects of our game that need to be shored up before that person should be put in that position again,” he said.

Nevertheless, it’s a problem that may rear its head again.

“We’ve seen it across all promotions,” Rebney said. “There isn’t a group of highly qualified professional judges in mixed martial arts. It’s not because people don’t want to be good or don’t care but because MMA is relatively new.

“I’m not the first person to say it, and I don’t think it’s defamatory toward judges. We need to strive to get people who want to judge mixed martial arts better education.”

While that’s an issue that likely will shadow MMA for years to come, Rebney feels he can make things better in the short run by giving Galvao an opportunity in the next tournament and a chance to mute the memory of his recent loss.

“You’re talking about a kid who used to look for change on the streets of Brazil to feed himself, and now here he is with an opportunity to be on MTV2, make $100,000, and work his way to a title shot,” Rebney said. “There’s a good aspect to this story as well.”

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